Surgical stocking



Filed May 27, 1950 INVENTOR. Oliver A. Waiton &' ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 1, 1%32 Uri") meant SURGICAL STOCKING- This invention applies to surgical appliances and has special reference to a garter stocking and anklet for supporting the lower leg when such support is indicated in sprains and other lesions.

This invention is an improvement over that shown in my co-pending application Serial #442,301 filed April 7th, 1930, Patent No. 1,834,378;

In the stocking made according to the above invention excessive wrinkles are formed in the area of the instep opposite the gore causing a great deal of discomfort to the wearer. To avoid this inconvenience, it has been found, after a great deal of experiments that if the area of the stocking above the instep be made of a tighter weave than the rest of the stocking or by stiffening up on the stitches all this trouble would be cured.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a novel form of stocking which has a special shaping area over the instep.

Another object of the invention is to provide a stocking with the area over the instep formed of a weave which has a greater amount of tension than the rest of the stocking so as to prevent wrinkling over the instep of the wearer.

lVith the above and other objects in view the invention consists in general of novel combinations and arrangements of details hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawing like characters of reference refer to like parts throughout, and I Figure 1 is a side elevation of a stocking constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a typical detail portion of the stocking. v I

Figure 3 is a typical detail portion of the area around the region of the instep.

The stocking forming this invention is Application filed May 27, 1930. Serial No. 456,167.

intended to cover all parts of the leg from the instep to a point up to the knee except the heel. For this purpose the stocking is preferably of knit fabric interwoven with elastic.

Numeral 1 designates the leg portion, 2 the heel gore and 3 the foot portion. Opposite the heel gore is the instep portion 4, the subject of this invention. Numeral 5 designates the normal weave of the stocking, 6 the weave at the instep and 7 the cross strands of rubber interwoven with the weave.

As defined by the dot and dash line 7 this area 4 at the instep, is knit under greater causing a constant tension or pull between the line 8 and the bottom edge 9 as indicated by the arrows 10 and 11 while the space between the heel gore 2 and the said instep area is knit under normal tension as the rest of the body of the stocking. This tendency to pull together is normally counteracted by the stocking fabric 12 in back of the instep and the result is that the bottom of the stocking takes the position as shown in Figure 1. Now when the stocking is worn the area of the fabric 12 becomes under tension and the instep 4 is allowed to shrink thereby conforming to the instep of the foot and avoiding any wrinkles at 13 which is usually the case inthe present form of stocking.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a highly efficient instep conforming stocking of this character which will not cause any inconvenience to the wearer.

Obviously changes may be made in specific details while adhering to the principles involved so that it iswished to include all modifications which come within the scope of the claim. y

Having thus described the invention, I claim In a surgical stocking of the class detension than the rest of the stocking thereby scribed, a leg portion and a foot portion 7 knitted under normal tension, a heel gore, and an instep area opposite said heel gore knitted under higher tension to conform to the instep of the wearer, the space between the said heel gore and instep area being knitted under normal tension, said gore being approximately on line With the center of said portion knitted under higher tension.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature.

OLIVER HERBERT WALTON. 

